Handguns are offered for sale at Freddie Bear Sports on March 11, 2015, in Tinley Park. Gun control advocates are making another push to require licensing for Illinois gun stores after legislation stalled in the House last year.

Handguns are offered for sale at Freddie Bear Sports on March 11, 2015, in Tinley Park. Gun control advocates are making another push to require licensing for Illinois gun stores after legislation stalled in the House last year. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Gun control advocates are renewing their push to require Illinois firearm stores to get state licenses, saying federal regulations do not go far enough to ensure sales are handled properly.

Legislation to license dealers cleared the state Senate last year, but stalled in the House amid fierce opposition from gun rights groups. They contend that licensing would drive up the price of purchasing a firearm by as much as $300.

Democrats in the Senate are hoping to calm those fears, advancing companion legislation on Wednesday to limit the cost of licensing fees to $1,000 for a five-year period.

Lawmakers are revisiting the measure in the wake of last week’s shooting in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 people were killed and others wounded by an attacker with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Some lawmakers are calling for an outright ban on those weapons to try to curb mass shootings, an effort that has repeatedly failed in Illinois. But supporters of the licensing bill say the more widespread crisis is handgun violence that’s permeated communities on the city’s South and West sides.

“We react, as we should, when there is a horrific mass shooting, but every day in my district and across the Chicagoland area, young people are dying from gun violence. I would like to do something to try to stop that,” said sponsoring state Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park.

Harmon said the effort represented a “more sensible, holistic” approach rather than going after narrower issues raised in the direct aftermath of a tragedy. For instance, lawmakers tried and failed to pass a measure to ban bump stocks following the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year, in which the gunman used the devices to accelerate the rate of fire on several semi-automatic rifles.

“I don't know if anyone in this legislature had heard about bump stocks until Las Vegas, and I don’t think bump stocks were the root of that problem,” Harmon said. “I would certainly vote to prohibit them, but it’s a superficial response to a very particular episode and we all too often fight the last war instead of trying to solve the real, underlying problem.

Opponents argue that gun sellers are already licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which requires background checks. Todd Vandermyde, a former lobbyist for the National Rifle Association who now represents a group of gun dealers called the Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, said the state measure could prove expensive for a small mom and pop shop.

“We already have a federal licensing standard and we think it works reasonably well,” Vandermyde said.

Under the state proposal, anyone who sells, leases or transfers firearms would have to be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Dealers and their employees would have to undergo training to make sure they know how to properly conduct background checks, store guns, prevent thefts and thwart straw purchases, in which someone buys a gun on behalf of someone who is barred from doing so.

All retailers applying for a license must pass inspection and receive written approval from their local sheriff, and all employees will be required to have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and pass the same background checks as those looking to purchase a gun. Regulators may also ask for fingerprints, a recent photograph and access to other records.

Shops would also be required to have a working surveillance system in place by Jan. 1, 2021 — a change from a former bill designed to give businesses more time for installation. Stores where firearms sales make up less than 20 percent of sales would be exempt from the new rules.

Vandermyde raised concerns about language in the original legislation that would require video surveillance anywhere a firearm is handled or carried, saying that would translate to cameras in gun shop bathrooms. Harmon called the suggestion “ludicrous” and noted the companion bill specifically prohibits that.

“You do a wonderful job of extrapolating to the worst possible interpretation of the language,” Harmon said.

The licensing bills are also opposed by the state agency that would have to oversee implementation. Agency officials raised concerns about the cost of launching the new rules, and said it has limited experience in administering and enforcing this type of program. The department typically oversees barbers, dentists, nurses and other professions.

The measure passed on a 11-5 party line vote, with Republicans voting against it. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration, which could come as early as next week.

The Senate Executive Committee also advanced two related measures. One would require someone to have a FOID card to purchase prepackaged explosives. The other would allow family members or law enforcement officials to ask a judge to take away someone’s guns or FOID card if they pose an immediate threat to themselves or others by having access to firearms. That measure did receive some Republican support, with Sen. Chris Nybo of Elmhurst saying it was a “reasonable” response to recent gun violence.